Vermont city prepares for Syrian refugees with welcome, wariness

RUTLAND, Vt. — Marble quarries known the world over once attracted immigrants to this small city tucked beside the Green Mountains. Now, a simple quest for peace and safety is beckoning a new group.

Mayor Christopher Louras has unveiled a plan, developed in near-secrecy, to resettle 100 Syrian refugees who fled the onslaught of the Islamic State and are exiled in sprawling Jordanian camps.

If approved by the State Department and others, the resettlement would begin in October and gradually send Rutland more Syrian refugees than are currently living anywhere else in New England.

The influx would be a jolt of instant cultural diversity for Rutland, where there are no mosques and no other Syrian immigrants. Most residents appear ready to welcome the refugees, mindful of the harrowing images of Syrians desperately seeking refuge outside their ravaged country.